Pages

In Season

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Rustic Rhubarb and Rose Petal Tarts

Yes these look challenging, Yes they have a lot of steps, Yes they are delicious! Really, they are not that hard to make. The whole time I was making them I called them my Supermodels. Really, they are beautiful, they didn't need much make-up, and they photograph so well (no bad sides). As challenging as they look you really can't screw them up. They are supposed to be rustic, so really the more screwed up the more beautiful they are (no offense to Supermodels).
The best part is that you can make them ahead of time and then just take them out of the freezer as you need them, a couple for dessert, and then some more for breakfast...
The original recipe calls for dried hibiscus flowers, which believe it or not I actually have in my kitchen (I won them in some giveaway a year ago). Because I could not resist taking advantage of the bounty of the season I used fresh rose petals instead. If you decide to go with hibiscus flowers they will need to be removed after cooking as they will not cook down like the rose petals. If you do decide to go with rose petals, make sure to use organic(or wild ones from your yard like I did), or those specifically made for culinary purposes as the regular flower shop ones are full of nasty chemicals.

Rustic Rhubarb and Rose Petal Tarts
from Good to the Grain by Kim Boyce

Make the compote:
Combine 4 cups of the rhubarb, sugar, and rose petals in a medium, heavy bottom saucepan. Stir the mixture, cover, and place the mixture over medium low heat. Cook for about 15 minutes until the mixture is saucy. Remove the cover, turn the head to medium and cook another 15-20 minutes until the Rhubarb is completely broken down. I used my immersion blender to aid in this process. Remove from heat and stir in remaining rhubarb, stir to coat. Pour into a bowl and let cool completely (I found the compote easier to work with after refrigerating it). If you do not want to make tarts immediately, compote will keep up to one week in the fridge.

Make the dough:
Sift the flours, cornmeal, sugar, and salt into the bowl of a standing mixer. Any bits of grain that remain in the sifter should also be put into the bowl. Using the paddle attachment, turn the mixer to lowest speed and add butter (this will prevent flour from flying everywhere), after 1 minute turn mixer to medium and mix until dough resembles coarse cornmeal. Add the cream and egg yolks, mix until well combined. The dough will appear coarse and grainy, but will stick together when squeezed between your fingers. The dough should be used right away as it will harden if refrigerated.

Assemble the tarts:
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Divide the dough into 10 equal pieces. Lightly flour a work surface. Flatten one piece of dough into a rough circle with the heel of your hand. It should be about 5 inches in diameter, with the outer edges being a little thinner than the rest of the dough. If dough begins to stick, re-flour surface and dough if necessary.
Spoon 1/4 cup of the compote into the center of the dough. Fold the edge of the dough towards the center working your way around the edges until a ruffled effect happens. They should look "rustic". Slide a bench scraper or metal spatula underneath and transfer to baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough. Place baking sheets with tarts in freezer for one hour to harden. If not using immediately, wrap in plastic after 4 hours.

Bake the tarts:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place baking sheets directly in oven from freezer (remove plastic wrap). Bake for about 35 minutes, or until the edges are light brown and the rhubarb is bubbling. The tarts are best eaten warm with ice cream, but can also be served at room temperature. I do not recommend keeping them over night as the crust starts to get soft, instead leave tarts unbaked in freezer and bake as needed.